African-American Career World Magazine, launched in 2001, is the recruitment link between students and professionals who are African American and the employers that seek to hire them.
The publication includes career strategies, industry trends, and role-model profiles that target the African-American community.

This magazine reaches students, graduate students and professionals at their home addresses.

If you are an African-American college student or professional, African-American Career World is available to you FREE!

Each new year presents a new opportunity to evolve your skill sets, enhance your professional persona and take your career to the next level.

The following five tips can help you achieve that and succeed in 2017.

1. Network. Many people think it’s a weakness to get help from people. That’s just not true. It takes a strong person to seek the right kind of support. Get to know successful people in your chosen field, so you can get support and advice from them. If you’re lucky enough to find a mentor, then take good notes. Take the support and advice now, knowing that someday you’ll be in the position to provide it to someone else. While you surround yourself with good connections, never cease to be independent. Being independent and strong enough to move forward even if you’re taking the next step alone is crucial to being successful.

2. Think Positively. We often get in our own way because our minds are consumed with all of the negative thinking. Focus on what you want, not on what you don’t want, and immediately replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Use the laws of attraction to bring to you what it is that you want in your life.

3. Banish Excuses. People are too often caught up in their own excuses for why they can’t do things. This year be honest with yourself about whether something is really a hurdle or just an excuse. Banish the excuses and keep moving forward. Make individuality a priority, so you leave the excuses behind, define who you are and stand out.

4. Remember the Golden Rule. In all areas of life, including in your career pursuits, you should be treating people the way you want to be treated. The way you treat people will always come back to you. Put good things out, so that good comes right back to you. It feels good to treat people with kindness, and it will open many doors. Having integrity in all you do is key and will help you get ahead.

5. Forget Expectations. It doesn’t matter if something has always been done a particular way. That’s not a legitimate reason why you can’t change it. In other words, blaze your own trail, don’t feel you need to stick to the ones that others before you have set forth. Use your instincts to help navigate your way.

Last, but not least, make this the year where you set concrete goals, take steps every day to work toward achieving them, and drown out the noise that can hold you back. If you want it, then you can succeed. However, you have to stay the course and persevere. It’ll be that much sweeter once you do.